Prince Albert

Royal Consort

Born: 26 August 1819

Died: 14 December 1861

Birthplace: Schloss Rosenau, near Coburg, Germany

Best known as: Beloved husband of Queen Victoria

Albert was the beloved husband and trusted advisor of Britain's Queen Victoria. First cousins, they were married on 10 February 1840, two years after Victoria became queen at age 18. Despite public suspicion of his German heritage, Albert became a key figure in Victoria's early reign, and some considered him the 'power behind the throne.' Albert was known for his eager interest in science and learning, and from 1847-61 he was chancellor of Cambridge University. He also organized the Great Exhibition of 1851, held in the famed Crystal Palace, which showcased advances in science and industry. His death at age 42 devastated Victoria, who spent several years in mourning.

Extra credit: Albert was the son of Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in Germany... Victoria and Albert had nine children; their son Albert (b. 1841) became King Edward VII after Victoria's death in 1901... The cause of Prince Albert's death is unclear; physicians at the time diagnosed typhoid, but later scholars suggested the cause was a stomach ailment like cancer... Albert's name is given to the Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum... A 20th-century pipe tobacco was named for Prince Albert; the tobacco was sold in tins, leading later to the humorous question, "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?"... A modern-day royal Albert is Prince Albert of Monaco.